Bob McDonnell on Virginia ultrasound law: Let’s talk about the budget

posted at 4:30 pm on February 22, 2012 by Tina Korbe

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell originally said he would sign into law a Virginia bill to require women to have an ultrasound before they have an abortion — but, now, he’s not so sure. He met with Virginia legislators and members of his staff to discuss the issue last night:

Legislators and governor’s staff met Tuesday night to hash out a compromise that would make the ultrasounds voluntary, but not mandatory, before an abortion, several people with knowledge of the meeting said Wednesday.

The meeting took place after the governor and legislators learned that the ultrasounds could be more invasive than first thought, according to two officials who were aware of the meeting but not authorized to speak about it publicly.

Have these reconsidering legislators been moved by the left’s argument that mandated ultrasounds amount to rape? Or by the presence of some protesters who, at a rally in Richmond on Monday, wore T-shirts that bore the sophisticated slogan, “Virginia is for lovers, not probes”? Surely not.

But Gov. McDonnell wouldn’t answer any questions about the meeting or the ultrasound law at a news conference today. “You know I’m concerned about?” he asked. “I’m concerned about the budget.”

The deflection was sound politics, a model for what the GOP could do in the race against Obama in November. No matter what Obama brings up, the GOP candidate could always retort, “You know what I’m concerned about? I’m concerned about the budget.”

But social issues come up again and again and again because they’re important and get to the heart of what kind of a society we want to be. It’s fine for politicians to delegate solutions to social ills to cultural crusaders and to not seek to solve every problem through legislation. It’s possible for McDonnell to oppose this law and yet be pro-life. But it’s not OK for politicians to be disingenuous about what they believe or about the facts of an issue.

While I understand why he didn’t, I wish McDonnell would have engaged: Not only could he set the record straight about what the law really mandates (it doesn’t mandate the invasive transvaginal procedure that liberals are supposedly so up in arms about!), but he could also take the opportunity to state a few facts about abortion. Abortion itself is an incredibly invasive procedure that leaves women to cope with severe physical and emotional consequences. McDonnell could state again that he wants women to have the full story one way or another — if not through this law, then by the efforts of sidewalk counselors and others — before they decide to go through with such a truly life-altering procedure.

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The meeting took place after the governor and legislators learned that the ultrasounds could be more invasive than first thought, according to two officials who were aware of the meeting but not authorized to speak about it publicly.

The left never, ever wants to acknowledge that the fetus LOOKS like a baby even after the first few days of conception.

Back 50 years ago, the local museum had a display of inutero fetuses that were somehow obtained, and diced in half for the display. It went around the balcony area if my memory serves me correctly. It showed a fetus every few days of development, all the way up to 9 months. I have no idea how they got a 9 month inutero baby for the display, but it was there, they were all real fetuses, not inert displays.

If anyone has ever seen a display like that, you know there is a head and a heart formed within the first week of conception. I have no idea if they still have that display out because I am sure some people would think something like that should be given decent funerals, etc., but this display is probably the best thing ever to promote the cause of outlaying abortions.

There are only two states that have this law now, so it hardly seems fair to make this the new litmus test of whether you are pro-life or not. It smacks of government overreach to many of us who are pro-life.

Any governmental mandate is wrong, even with introduced with the most heartfelt intent. If liberals want to butcher their welfare consuming spawn, I say we let them; they don’t have souls anyway.

Archivarix on February 22, 2012 at 4:36 PM

From a really pragmatic point of view, it is interesting to think that in the 30+ years of abortion, over 45 million potential human beings were killed before ever being born. And when you think it might be safe to presume that 80% of them were probably liberal spawn, that is about 35 million lefty voters that never got a chance to grow up and vote for the democrats.

If you think about that, how is it possible for the left to keep a majority long term in our country? I think they realize it, and that is why they are DYING to grant amnesty to the illegals. They need to replace these liberal voters.

No, the Republicans in the VA Assembly apparently did not know that ultrasounds done in the earliest stages of pregnancy must be done with an internal probe and not with the external wand. Yes, the issue is being overblown by liberals but it is still an intrusive procedure that the state wants to make mandatory for no reason other than to force the woman to look at the picture.

I don’t want Obama telling me what healthcaee procedures to have anymore than I want some state legislature making those determinations. Regardless of one’s position on abortion, this is a step too far.

* Four states require verbal counseling and/or written materials to include information on ultrasound services: IN, OK, UT, and WI.

* Four states require verbal counseling and/or written materials to include information on ultrasound services and require the abortionist to offer the opportunity to see an ultrasound image if ultrasound is used in preparation for the abortion: GA, KS, MI and NE.

* Four states require the abortionist to offer the opportunity to see an ultrasound image if ultrasound is used in the preparation for the abortion: AR, ID, OH, and SC.

*Two states require an ultrasound for each abortion and require the abortionist to offer the opportunity to view the image: AL and MS.

*One state requires an ultrasound after the first trimester and requires the abortionist to offer the opportunity to view the image: FL.

* One state requires an ultrasound at 20 weeks gestation and beyond to determine viability, and requires that the abortionist offer the opportunity to view the image: LA.

* Two states require the abortionist to offer the opportunity to view an ultrasound image: ND and SD.

* One state, AZ, requires ultrasounds after 12 weeks gestation but this requirement has been enjoined by a court of law.

From a really pragmatic point of view, it is interesting to think that in the 30+ years of abortion, over 45 million potential human beings were killed before ever being born. And when you think it might be safe to presume that 80% of them were probably liberal spawn, that is about 35 million lefty voters that never got a chance to grow up and vote for the democrats.

If you think about that, how is it possible for the left to keep a majority long term in our country? I think they realize it, and that is why they are DYING to grant amnesty to the illegals. They need to replace these liberal voters.

karenhasfreedom on February 22, 2012 at 4:48 PM

Liberals come in many kinds. While urban elites and academia are frequent and successful clients of Planned Murderhood, black and especially Latino urban ghettos spawn quicker than fruit flies. Also, there is a new bunch of brainwashed voters coming out of a chilly womb of the public education system every year.

Abdominal and transvag!nal ultrasounds are both effective at early stages of pregnancy. This fact is acknowledged in this “continuing medical education” module produced by the National Abortion Foundation (tag line: “A Provider’s Guide to Medical Abortion”):

So, yes, transvag!nal is more reliable for detecting pregnancies for a period of about seven days. Please note the Orwellian use of the word “treatment” for “killing of the baby.” How does this require a woman to have a transvag!nal ultrasound? Short answer: it doesn’t.

From a really pragmatic point of view, it is interesting to think that in the 30+ years of abortion, over 45 million potential human beings were killed before ever being born. And when you think it might be safe to presume that 80% of them were probably liberal spawn, that is about 35 million lefty voters that never got a chance to grow up and vote for the democrats.

social conservative darwinism?

If you think about that, how is it possible for the left to keep a majority long term in our country? I think they realize it, and that is why they are DYING to grant amnesty to the illegals. They need to replace these liberal voters.

karenhasfreedom on February 22, 2012 at 4:48 PM

i did not realized that there was a demographic war in this country pitting social conservatives vs everyone else.

So, if you do an external ultrasound on a woman who is 5 weeks pregnant, the “picture” won’t show you anything. The woman is hardly likely to change her mind about an abortion when shown something that really does look like a blob.

Who knew there were so many Big Government statists just hiding out in conservative circles waiting for the “right” mandates, the “right” intrusions into the individual’s life? Let’s throw a holy fit over TSA pat downs, but this? Why this is no kind of intrusion at all. Hypocrites suck.

It’s not OK to mandate health insurance, but it is OK to force medical procedures!!! What kind of nut comes up with this stuff.

I’m a Virginian and what the state government is proposing crosses the line. A woman shouldn’t be forced to have this type of ultrasound. The government needs to stay the hell out of personal health care choices.

I’m not a fan of abortion but it is a legal procedure. A woman should have the right to privacy and not probed because a pro-life zealot wants to degrade a woman by forcing a procedure, hoping to make her see the light. It disgusts me. It disgusts me the thought of Obamacare and yet we have fellow conservatives wanting the government to meddle in very difficult reproductive choices.

Bob McDonnell is wise to back down from this if he wants to have a political life beyond his governorship. The Left would crucify him to the point most women would never vote for him.

I’m a Virginian and what the state government is proposing crosses the line. A woman shouldn’t be forced to have this type of ultrasound. The government needs to stay the hell out of personal health care choices.

Christina_M on February 22, 2012 at 5:32 PM

Here, here! I would like to add that a woman shouldn’t be forced to have any type of ultrasound, period. The “ultrasound is rape” argument from the left is stupid, but the “ultrasound is not rape so it’s OK to mandate it” argument from the right is equally stupid.

My governor and legislatures actually did the conservative thing and didn’t impose a mandate – who woulda thunk it? Yet they are getting attacked as RINO’s, sellouts, and worse. It’s disgusting.

Sometimes I wonder, if abortion and contraception were carved out of Obamacare, but mandates like this were included, would social so-called conservatives, Catholic or otherwise, turn around and support it?

The issue is so complex that it worries me when people appear to view the problem as one with an easy solution. Rules requiring an ultrasound are just as intrusive as those which insist on dictating someone’s conscience. I want less government involved in my life not more. Both extremes want to control my thoughts and actions. This really bothers me.

So, if you do an external ultrasound on a woman who is 5 weeks pregnant, the “picture” won’t show you anything. The woman is hardly likely to change her mind about an abortion when shown something that really does look like a blob.

rockmom on February 22, 2012 at 4:55 PM

Incorrect sir. A blob with a beating heart at 5 weeks. And you can view that beating heart.

No, the Republicans in the VA Assembly apparently did not know that ultrasounds done in the earliest stages of pregnancy must be done with an internal probe and not with the external wand. Yes, the issue is being overblown by liberals but it is still an intrusive procedure that the state wants to make mandatory for no reason other than to force the woman to look at the picture.

rockmom on February 22, 2012 at 4:49 PM

That’s actually false information. Transvaginal ultrasounds are not required at all. They are better at picking up the fetus in extremely early cases, such as between 4 and a half to 6 weeks, but the transabdominal ultrasounds work just fine from 6 weeks on. And since the earliest that a surgical abortion will be done is at about 7 weeks, the whole thing is a false outrage over a problem that doesn’t even exist.

It’s an excuse. The real reason for the kerfuffle is to make the GOP legislature back down from their requirement that mothers actually look at the ultrasound before they kill the babies. Because people who see the ultrasounds find it harder to pretend that it’s just a lump of cells. And that might lead to fewer abortions.

IOW, all those people who say abortion should be safe, legal, and rare — don’t mean that.

So we’re against mandates. Unless it’s mandates that we like. Makes sense.

I’d love to hear Tina’s defense of a state mandating something onto someone as a prerequisite of obtaining a service.

Hostile Gospel on February 22, 2012 at 5:13 PM

so every law is a mandate now? All this law is saying isthat if you want to abort, go ahead, but first you have to see the pictures of the ultrasound that is SOP for abortion clinics before the do the procedure.

And this guy is always introduced as the tea party candidate. Ha! Maybe he was at the time he was running. But just like Allen West and a bunch of others in the 2010 tsunami, his true colors ain’t tea party. He may think we were useful fools in 2010 but it’s 2012 now and we’re quick learners. Boehner is getting a primary challenge and so are most of the other turncoats, including Allen West.

According to my local paper this morning the legislature amended the proposed law (at the Gov’s request) to say that only external ultrasounds would be required and subsequently passed the bill. Now we will see if the Gov signs it. I think he will.

For those of us that believe life begins at conception then a child at five weeks is just as alive as one at 5 years and is entitled to the protection of society and the law regardless of the mothers wishes/convenience. Even for conservatives some things trump personal freedom. This bill is a step in the right direction.

As to whether a picture at five weeks will change someone’s mind, maybe yes, maybe no. But, it’s worth a shot in order to save a life.